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Statistics on Increased Risk for HIV Infection

In the United States, over one million live with HIV, and 24 to 27 percent of these people are unaware of their HIV infection1. Additionally, CDC estimates that approximately 40,000 persons in the United States become infected with HIV each year,2 making HIV prevention a national health priority and tracking at-risk behaviors an essential part of developing successful prevention efforts.3

The latest data on risk of HIV infection:

In 2002, over 14 million people in the United States aged 15-44 years reported sexual or drug-related behaviors in the past year that placed them at increased risk for HIV.4

About 13 percent of men and 11 percent of women in this group engaged in at-risk behavior in the past year.

Of those at risk, 60 percent did not use condoms at last sex.

Over a third of the people at risk also had not been tested for HIV in the past year even though CDC
recommends that healthcare providers test people at high risk annually. Furthermore, regardless of risk, CDC also recommends HIV testing of all Americans aged 13-64 in health care settings.